Super Easy Pad Thai

I had never attempted to make pad thai until just recently. It always seemed way too hard to me - I'm not sure why, it just did! Since I have been craving Thai food recently, I thought I'd try to make it since going out for Thai every week has started to get expensive. A friend of mine had said she pinned a recipe to her Pinterest board for vegetarian pad thai, and she told me she had made it and it was ready in less than 15 minutes. I checked out her Pinterest board, read the recipe, and thought - hey, I can make this! It is super easy to make and it is delicious. Greg and I have had pad thai three times in the past three weeks. Since there is no meat in this pad thai recipe, it is very simple. It is also a fairly cheap meal, which is always a good thing. If you love pad thai, you should try this recipe. Enjoy!

Recipe for Super Easy Pad Thai

INGREDIENTS:
One 8-ounce package of pad thai noodles or wide flat rice noodles

3 Tbsp. of freshly squeezed lime juice
3 Tbsp. of soy sauce
2 - 3 Tbsp. of dark brown sugar
Sriracha sauce
1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil or canola oil

3 chives, chopped (white and green parts)

2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Honey-roasted peanuts
Lime wedges

DIRECTIONS:
Soak the pad thai noodles according to package directions. While noodles are soaking, make the sauce. Put the soy sauce, lime juice, a dash or two of the sriracha sauce and brown sugar into a bowl and mix well. Then chop the chives and the garlic, and crack and beat the eggs. Put the oil into a large skillet. Once the noodles are finished soaking, drain well in a colander. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add in the white part of the chives and garlic and cook for 30 seconds, Pour in the eggs and cook, stirring gently until they are almost set - about 45 seconds. Transfer the eggs to a plate. Add in the rest of the chives, sauce, and the noodles to the skillet. Stir and toss the noodles with the sauce. After about a minute, add the eggs to the skillet. Cook for another minute, breaking up the egg gently and evenly throughout the noodles. Plate up the noodles. Top each serving with honey roasted peanuts. Add a wedge of lime, if desired.

Recipe Adapted from: Brownies for Dinner

Spicy Sesame Noodles

Last week I was feeling overwhelmed in the evenings because I was trying to juggle my work, school, home, and social responsibilities all at once. In the coming months, I am going to be looking to make more quick and easy weeknight meals (someone please tell me why I decided to go back to school...). These spicy sesame noodles are one of my go to meals when I am feeling pressed for time. They are really easy to make, and I usually have all of the ingredients on hand. Another great thing about this meal is that it barely makes any mess and it is ready to eat within 20 - 25 minutes from start to finish. This recipe was passed on to me 2 years ago from a friend/coworker, and it was passed on to her from her mother.  I love the flavors of the sesame oil, honey, and spicy red pepper flakes. It is so good! If you are afraid of spice, make sure to really cut down on the amount of red pepper flakes that you use in the recipe. The recipe makes at least 8 generous servings of noodles. The noodles can be enjoyed hot, warm, or cold. Make sure to top each serving with toasted sesame seeds or crushed peanuts. Enjoy!

Recipe for Spicy Sesame Noodles 

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup of corn oil
1/4 cup of sesame oil
1 Tbsp. of chili oil (optional)
1 1/2 tsp. to 1 Tbsp. of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. of dried onion flakes
5 Tbsp. of honey
3 Tbsp. of soy sauce
1 tsp. of salt
1 16-ounce package of spaghetti noodles
3 Tbsp. of toasted sesame seeds or crushed peanuts

DIRECTIONS:
Put a large pot of water on the stovetop and set on high to bring to boil (for the spaghetti noodles).

Put the corn oil, sesame oil, and red chili oil in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Add in the crushed red pepper flakes and onion flakes, stir. Let the oil, pepper flakes, and onion flakes cook for about 2 minutes (make sure to watch the pan while the oil is cooking - you don't want the oil to get too hot). Remove the saucepan from heat. Add in the honey, soy sauce, and salt and mix well. Set aside.

Once the water begins to boil, add some salt to the water. Add the spaghetti noodles to the pot of boiling water and cook according to package directions. Drain noodles well and then put them into a large bowl. Pour the oil and honey mixture over the noodles and mix. Serve the noodles hot or allow them to cool to room temperature. Top each serving with crushed peanuts or toasted sesame seeds. Eat with chopsticks, if desired!

To toast the sesame seeds: Scatter the sesame seeds in an even layer on a toaster oven baking pan. Toast in the toaster oven for 5 - 7 minutes. This can be done before you begin making the meal, or it can be done while the spaghetti is cooking.

Recipe Adapted from: Cathy Holcombe (this may be my friend's mother...or it is the 
person my friend's mother got the recipe from)

COMMENTS:
I know we all have busy schedules. Would you like to share your favorite quick & easy weeknight meal? If so, please leave a comment on this post! Thank you.

*Are you looking for more tasty noodle meals? Check out the recipes for cilantro-peanut pasta salad and soba noodle salad. Both recipes are easy to make & they are delicious!*